Structural Equation Modeling Meta-Analysis on Adjustment Difficulties in Siblings of Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder

• In Event: Autism Research Meta-Analyses, Reviews, and Trends

Abstract

The purpose of this meta-analytic study was to examine how the presence of ASD in a child affects her/his sibling(s)’s social, emotional, and behavioral adjustment. A total of 120 effect sizes—standardized difference between siblings of children with ASD and siblings of typically developing (TD) children)—were calculated from 24 studies, and they were analyzed using the structural equation modeling approach. The results showed that siblings of children with ASD had more adjustment difficulties than siblings of TD children in all three domains. Adjustment difficulties were more likely to be alleviated when siblings were older, female, and/or older than their sibling(s) with ASD. Based on the current findings and existing literature, implication and suggestions are discussed.

Authors

• Henry (Hyunchang) Moon, Texas Tech University

• Hye-Ran Park, Texas Tech University

• Ye Sil Kim, University of Louisiana at Lafayette

• Tala M Karkar Esperat, Eastern New Mexico University

• Jaehoon Lee, Texas Tech University